3.9 miles, 2930’ climbing
Hotel Stupa Inn, Dingboche, 14129’
Highest elevation: 15112’
We saw a couple dzopkyos passing on a narrow path between our room and the toilet (in a small shed), when we headed to bed last night. It was still snowing slightly. Thankfully we didn’t see any dzopkyos in the dark of night.
When we rose, it was bright and clear. Water, including one of the toilets, was frozen. The sun rose over the peak of Ama Dablam. The day was already warming and the snow that lay over everything was starting to melt.
During breakfast, it was again just us, our 2 proprietors, our guide and porter, and a neighbor who stopped in. We all had tea and breakfast while a lot of lively conversation took place in Nepali. Bire told us that the neighbor had attempted to carry a load to Everest base camp, but there was too much snow at Gorak Shep (deeper than near us), so he came back to wait for better weather. A tea pot was placed on the solar oven on the terrace, and chairs were carried out to take advantage of the sunshine. We felt like we were seeing a glimpse of the life of regular nepalis who live in the region.
The morning was spectacular with views of rocky and snow topped peaks in every direction, steep ridges connecting some of them. Snow covered mani walls with the carved Tibetan writing. The river below was rushing over rocks, bluish from dissolved minerals due to glacial melt. Helicopters ferried loads up and down the valleys. Our walk was mostly easy. We crossed the river, deviating from the main trail to Everest base camp. We climbed a hill and soon reached our lodge in Dingboche. We had tea on the terrace and watched the snow slide off the roof in slabs as the day warmed up. Our room is very nice with an attached powder room, and the common room is inviting with carpet covered benches around the perimeter with tables in front of them and a yak-dung burning stove in the center of the room. A small counter in one corner has snacks and sundries for sale, menus to order food from the kitchen, and some dishware. This seems to be the classic design for the common rooms in the area.
After lunch, we climbed the hillside behind our hotel to a viewpoint. In one direction we could see Taboche and Cholatse and the glacial moraine coming down from the direction of Cho La pass. Across the valley from Dingboche was Ana Dablam. Up the valley we could see the dark triangle of Makalu. Spectacular! A large group of crows glided above us on the breeze, mesmerizing to see until Bire commented that they sometimes pooped on your head, and we all laughed. A raven scolded us later from on top of some prayer flags.
After our hike, we had tea and relaxed the rest of the day. There are a number of other trekkers here, Dingboche is a common destination to take an acclimatization rest day.
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